Sunday, October 17, 2010

Imagining the Invisible � American Scientist: "Of course Kekul�is also famous for his two dreams, or daydreams, of chemical structure, which have fascinated science writers of all sorts for more than a century. In the first of these, he sees atoms “gamboling” and pairing off, larger ones seizing smaller ones, all moving “in a whirling dance” and forming chains, with larger atoms dragging smaller ones along. He concludes his account of the dream with the statement that “This was the birth of the structure theory.” In the second dream, which takes place several years later, atoms flutter before him in long lines, “twisting and turning like snakes.” Then one snake seizes its own tail and whirls in front of him. He awakens and realizes that benzene has a cyclical structure."